Super Far
by thatoboist
Summary: Ben Solo has given up on the hellscape that is Chicago Tinder until he swipes upon an intriguing redhead named Armitage. [thank you so much for reading! feel free to follow me on any form of social media @thatoboist (including Tumblr and Spotify)! there's a playlist that's being continuously updated for this fic on my Spotify, titled "super far". thank you for your support!]
1. Chicago

Some days, Ben felt like tinder was a waste of his time. The endless swiping, the parade of boring faces with similar names and unoriginal bios; it all made his toes curl at times. Whenever he would get a match, he'd get a little excited, until he realized they were the same as the person before.

"You're just so damn picky," Brienne, his best friend, had told him. "You'll miss out on someone."

Ben threw his phone down after a notification from tinder lit up his phone.

_You've got a new match!_

It only made Ben want to scream. How many more unoriginal men could he stumble upon in this vast city? His roommate Brienne Phasma was of no help where men were concerned; she was more fond of women. She'd taken him to gay bars, hot spots, and meccas for the local Chicago gays, and yet he threw every number he got from a bartender in the trash and deleted every random text he received, no matter how flattering it was. Brienne had given up on dragging him out with her on the weekends, and he noticed the hope leave her eyes when he turned down her subtle offers.

So here he was, hopeless on a Saturday night, suddenly eyeing up the notification from tinder with slight interest. He sat back down on his bed and opened his phone, quickly noting Brienne's usual good-bye text. Ben opened tinder with hesitation, slid over to his feed, and observed his new match. The only word he could use to describe the man at first glance was angular. His jawline was chiseled, straight; his nose smooth and even and not broken like Ben's. His blue eyes pierced Ben, but for some reason, Ben hadn't been able to notice them before. This must have been a match caused by one of his "rapid right-swiping sprees", as Brienne liked to call them. The man was also a red-head, which Ben found intriguing for some odd reason. In a shirtless picture, Ben noticed the tiny freckles dotting the man's shoulders, body, and face, and Ben loved it. The more Ben looked, the more he wasn't opposed to this match. The man was attractive--smaller, but not weak in any way. Even through pictures, Ben could tell that he had the capability to command a room full of people. His name was even interesting: Armitage. Armitage. Ben mouthed it, let it dance across his lips and tongue, and when he decided he liked it, he tapped the chat button. His thumbs hovered over the keyboard. Why was there a sudden fear taking over him? Ben shook his head and typed his go-to greeting:

_Hey there, handsome._

Ben nodded at his casual greeting. It always got a positive response when he used it. He panicked when he saw the typing bubble appear, and his heart raced, then dropped when a response filled the empty space in the chat.

_Try harder_.

His mouth was agape, his eyebrows furrowed, and his left fist clenched. Ben had never experienced this before. His greeting was fool-proof! In his humble opinion, there was nothing to improve, but this man, this Armitage, had certainly captured his attention.

_Greetings, my fresh flower. If it's not too forward, I'd like to escort you on an outing to a venue of your choosing in the very near future._

Ben hit send and only felt a little bad about his sarcasm and mockery. His heart pounded as he waited for the response from the ginger man.

_I didn't mean "court me like you're from the 19th century", but it worked nonetheless._

Ben smiled and quickly typed back a response.

_I'm glad it did. When are you free next?_

The typing bubble from Armitage quickly bounced up again.

_I'm free this Monday._

_Awesome, it's a date._

Ben sent a text with the address of the bar he knew had a drink special on Mondays, and Armitage promptly confirmed that he would be there at 8 pm sharp. When Ben sent his personal phone number, Armitage liked his message, and then his phone buzzed.

_Greetings, my fresh flower._

Ben chuckled. Brienne was going to hear about this one when she came home.


	2. Red Line, Red Hair

Ben could not shake the anxious thoughts bouncing around his head as he stood on the red line train car. What if Armitage stood him up? What if he didn't like Ben in person? What if he did something to embarrass himself in front of the handsome redhead?

As he'd gotten ready at his apartment, he'd been getting coached by Brienne on what to say, how to act, even what drink to order. As much as Ben appreciated her generosity, he felt like he would just be presenting some unauthentic version of himself. So, while he took one last look at himself in the bathroom mirror, he gently tousled his thick black curls and adjusted his red button-up, trying to feel more like himself than some uptight imposter. For some reason, just that simple action helped him feel more grounded going into the date.

But, being on the red line zapped his confidence for some reason, so now it was back to the anxious thoughts filling his head. When the stop for North and Clybourn was announced, he quickly exited and made a beeline for the stairs down to the street. A slight breeze hit his face and moved his hair, and the smell of an impending storm filled his nostrils. Hopefully, he remembered to close his bedroom windows. Luckily, after a little walk, he managed to find the bar and step inside, immediately scanning the crowd for a red-haired man.

"Ben? Is that you?"

He turned around and jumped when he saw the man who called his name. Armitage was even more handsome in person, and his voice was as smooth and as crisp as Ben had imagined it. Ben couldn't have predicted the unique Irish accent, though.

"Yeah, yeah, it's me. It's nice to meet you, Armitage." Ben smiled and was impressed with how composed he sounded despite being a nervous wreck.

Armitage smiled back, and Ben felt himself blush as the hostess guided them to a high-top table near the bar.

When they were seated, Ben nervously glanced up from his menu to catch a glimpse of Armitage. It seemed that Armitage had the same idea, and they both laughed when they met eyes.

"I'm sorry I'm staring, you're just...very handsome," Ben said, feeling his cheeks redden again.

"That's very sweet of you to say. You're pretty okay yourself," Armitage said with a wink.

Ben scoffed. "Just okay? I should just leave right now."

"Hush, I'm kidding. You're actually incredibly attractive. Your pictures don't do you justice, which I can't say for many on Tinder."

"That's pretty high praise coming from you," Ben said, grinning when he noticed Armitage blush.

"You're certainly a charmer." Armitage looked back at his menu again. "I think I'm going to get a glass of whiskey. What about you?"

"Oh, I was just gonna get whatever beer is on tap. Whiskey is a little too stiff for my taste," Ben chuckled. "Long day at the office?"

Armitage rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't believe."

Their waitress took their drink orders and returned promptly. Ben watched Armitage take a long sip from his glass and roll his shoulders back. He was a living, breathing sculpture in Ben's eyes; he was too handsome to be real.

"Where do you work?" Ben asked.

"First Order Advertising," Armitage said, dabbing the corner of his mouth with a napkin. "I'm a marketing director since I'm one of the few people there with people skills. What about you?"

"Interesting. I just teach full-time at a jiu-jitsu studio north of where I live."

"I figured it was something physical. I could see your muscles from a mile away."

Ben blushed, and he could've sworn Armitage licked his lips before taking another sip of his whiskey. "Ha, thanks. Why was today so stressful?"

"I'm trying to close a deal with a large company, and my father is up my arse about closing it as soon as possible, but I don't want to rush them and seem insincere. It's a whole debacle."

Ben took a sip of his beer, the bubbles tickling his throat. "I couldn't imagine working with, or even for, my dad."

"I do it out of necessity. His CEO offered me a position at his firm as soon as I graduated, so of course, I had to take it. It's not easy to find a job with a degree in advertising."

"I get that. Does it strain your relationship with him?"

"The relationship has always been strained." Armitage adjusted his position, cleared his throat, and darted his eyes back to his drink. "What do you want to do after this?"

"I haven't really thought about it. What, uh, did you have in mind?" Ben stuttered and took a long, nervous sip from his beer.

"We could always go back to my place. I live a short walk off the Chicago stop."

"A River North man, huh? I'm a lucky guy."

Armitage chuckled and thanked the waitress when she dropped off the check. Before Ben could protest, Armitage had stuck his card in the check and set it up for their waitress to pick up.

"Armitage, I could've gotten the check," Ben said, tilting his head and reaching for his wallet. "At least let me get tip."

Armitage shook his head. "It's fine." He flashed a charming white smile at Ben. "It's the least I can do for a handsome guy."

Soon, they were on their way to the train station. It was a little muggy, and the threat of rain loomed closer than it had when Ben had arrived at the bar only hours ago. They were silent on the walk there. Ben knew he was nervous, and he tried calming himself down by assuming that Armitage was nervous too. Before he forgot, Ben whipped out his phone and sent Brienne a quick text telling her he was going to Armitage's apartment.

Armitage's angular and sharp jawline was outlined perfectly in the cheap red line lighting, and he definitely carried himself with confidence. As their train pulled into the station, the breeze it created rustled Armitage's neat hair, and Ben found himself growing a little more fond of the composed, workaholic redhead.

They found two empty seats and sat next to each other. Their hands brushed, and both looked at each other and nervously chuckled. The Chicago stop came, they got off, and then Armitage started directing them towards his apartment.

"So I'm gonna guess that you live in a high-rise?"

"No...Well, I mean, yes, I suppose."

Ben smiled to himself and kicked a rock while they waited for a light to change. "How high?"

Armitage rubbed his chin and looked up as he was thinking. "That's a surprise," he said, as the walk signal turned white.

Ben was astounded by how clean the lobby of Armitage's apartment building was. His was...grimy, to say the least. Then again, this was River North, and Ben had high expectations. Armitage led him to the elevator bank and made Ben close his eyes while he pressed his floor button.

"Hey, Ben?"

"Hm?" Ben still had his eyes closed, but he heard Armitage step over to him.

Armitage stepped closer to Ben and put a hand on his cheek. "Keep your eyes closed," He murmured, leaning in and kissing him gently.

Ben immediately kissed him back, putting a hand on Armitage's waist and another at the nape of his neck. He pulled the redhead closer to him, only stopping when he heard the elevator ding and announce that they were on floor 36. They stepped out, their hands now intertwined, illuminated by the fancy, modern sconces.

"36, huh?" Ben smirked. "Rich boy."

"Oh, hush," Armitage growled, a playful grin on his face as he pulled out the key to his apartment. He unlocked the door, and let Ben in. "I'm sorry if it's a little messy."

When Armitage flipped the lights on, Ben's jaw dropped. All new appliances, marble countertops, a marvelous view of the city, and a spacious kitchen and living room area made Ben immediately hate his small, moderately liveable apartment that he shared.

"I have to use the bathroom, I'll be right back."

Ben nodded and smiled when Armitage left. He took a seat on a stool that was resting under the kitchen island, touching the countertop and feeling how smooth it was. He heard a gentle patter on the window and noticed that it had finally started to rain. When Armitage came back out, he excused himself to the bathroom, quickly using the toilet, fixing his hair, and rinsing his mouth out with water. He took one last look at himself in the mirror, sighed, and went back out into the kitchen area.

Armitage stood up and met him halfway, taking Ben's hand in his. "Let's go somewhere more comfortable."

"Agreed," Ben said, clearing his throat, trailing behind Armitage.

When they were inside his bedroom, Armitage shut the door, and Ben immediately pushed him against it, kissing him long and hard. Ben felt Armitage's hands trail from his shoulders, down his back, and then he felt them squeeze his ass. He smiled underneath the kiss and slid his tongue into the redhead's mouth, teasing. Armitage returned the favor, and Ben noted the subtle taste of whiskey mixed with a minty toothpaste. They parted for a moment, and Ben stared into Armitage's piercing blue eyes, running a hand down his cheek. Armitage leaned into Ben's touch, closing his eyes for a moment while Ben stroked his cheek.

They continued to kiss for a bit, lingering in each other's touch, exploring what made each other sigh and gasp. Armitage pulled away and put a hand on Ben's neck, yawning.

"Ben," Armitage whispered. "I'm tired."

"Did those few glasses of whiskey get to you, lightweight?"

Armitage playfully nudged Ben and smiled. "No. I'm just tired."

Ben stepped back when Armitage stripped down to his boxers, shrugged, and then did the same. Before Armitage could start walking to the bed, Ben scooped him up in his arms. Armitage laughed and Ben smiled. He set Armitage down gently, and the redhead pulled him down into his arms, kissing his temple, cheek, then lips. They made themselves comfortable under the sheets, and Armitage asserted himself as the little spoon, which Ben liked.

"Goodnight, Ben."

"Goodnight, Armitage," Ben punctuated his sentence with a kiss on Armitage's cheek.

"Please," Armitage yawned. "Call me Tidge."

Ben smiled, stroking Armitage's pale arm. "Then, goodnight, Tidge."

"That's better."


End file.
